The invention set forth in this specification pertains to new and improved dispensing closures. More specifically it pertains to dispensing closures which are tamper evident and/or tamper proof in the sense that they provide a visual indication as to whether or not such closures have previously been opened.
The term "dispensing closures" has commonly been recognized to define closures having a cap and a spout. The cap in such a closure is normally constructed so as to include a cap body, a structure or means for either attaching or securing the cap body to a container and an opening leading through the cap body. The spout in such a closure is normally an elongated member having a passage extending between its ends. In such a closure co-acting members or means are provided for rotatably mounting the spout on the cap body so that the spout is capable of being rotated between an opened position in which the spout extends from the cap body with the passage in alignment with the opening and a closed position in which contact between the spout and the cap body closes off the opening.
Dispensing closures as indicated are commonly formed by separately molding the spout and the cap out of a somewhat flexible, somewhat resilient material such as a conventional polyolefin polymer in such a manner that the spout may be assembled upon the cap by applying pressure to the spout so as to "snap" together the co-acting members on the spout and the cap which rotatably mount the spout in an operative position. For reasons which are unimportant to an understanding of the present invention a dispensing closure manufacturer will frequently manufacture a variety of different spouts and a variety of different caps having identical co-acting parts such as trunions on such spouts and bearing openings on such caps. As a consequence of this there is the danger that due to error spouts will be assembled upon caps which are not intended to be utilized with such caps.
Such assembly of a conventional dispensing closure involves the orientation of a separate spout with respect to the cap body of such a closure in such a manner that the co-acting members used to rotatably mount the spout are aligned with reasonable precision in such a manner that the spout and the cap may be pressed or "snapped" together. Such positioning of spouts relative to caps in the production of dispensing closures can be and has been considered to be a significant problem. To a large extent this problem has been solved through the use of relatively expensive, relatively complex assembly equipment. For economic reasons it is considered that it would be desirable to substitute for such equipment simpler equipment to position a spout relative to a cap so that the cap may be snapped into an operative position.
Another problem in connection with conventional dispensing closures concerns possible ways of constructing such closures so that they are tamper evident or tamper proof. Conventionally such closures are of such a nature that a customer can manipulate them as, for example, when they are installed on a container for a product in a store. Obviously this is undesirable because of the possibility of the container being sold with less than its intended content. While to a degree this possibility can be minimized through the use of a label or the like overlying the spout on a dispensing closure this type of expedient is considered undesirable because of economic considerations and because such a label or the like may have an undesirable aesthetic appearance.
In the past various types of non-dispensing tamper evident or tamper proof closures have been designed and to various extents utilized. An understanding of the invention is not considered to require a detailed review of various structures of this type. In general, however, they have been constructed in such a way as to utilize a strip or band adapted to be broken off of a closure so as to permit the closure to be removed from the container. It is known to utilize such a strip or band in connection with a closure adapted to be permanently mounted on a container and to utilize a sort of "sub-closure" on such a strip or band in connection with an opening in the principal closure. It has also been known to utilize a type of lid mechanism mounted upon a closure adapted to be permanently secured to a container and to couple such a lid mechanism to the base of the closure through the use of extending tabs connected to one another by a small strip or area which is adapted to be severed.
It is not considered that such expedients of the types utilized in the past to provide tamper evident, non-dispensing closures are applicable to dispensing closures. This is because of the inherent character of dispensing closure structures and because of certain manners in which these dispensing closures are used. In connection with the latter, reference is made to conventional, known capping equipment employed in threading certain types of dispensing closures upon container necks. If a dispensing closure is to operate satisfactorily in connection with such equipment the closure should be constructed in such a manner as not to include a projection in such a location as is apt to interfere with the operation of the capping equipment. Further, the closure should be constructed in such a manner that there is no reasonable chance of a part of the closure which is adapted to be severed or torn off being damaged and/or mutilated as such equipment is utilized.